Just Friends
by bandgeek13
Summary: A little look into the relationship between Ron and Hermione. Please RR for me! :)


**Author's Note: My first fic just a little idea that came to me. Please let me know what you think of it! Jen**

_ Just friends._ How many times had she said that to people, using it as an excuse to pry off nosy gossips or mocking classmates? And how many times had she heard them reply back with know-it-all scoffing and obvious sarcasm? Too many to count, that was for sure. Yet as Hermione sat all alone in the Gryffindor common room late that night, she forced herself to think on it.

"_Just friends.__ Are we really 'just friends'?" _she pondered, taking a sip of her cocoa and staring into the fireplace. "_I don't know,_ _it always seemed more than that to me. But maybe I'm just delusional…" _Overcome by her confused emotions, she leaned back in the chair and sighed, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she was hit by a wave of memories. They played out like movies on the dark screen of her eyelids, causing her to smile just by seeing them…

_ It was 120 to nothing and Gryffindor was getting squashed. The team was a mess; the Beaters kept hitting eachother instead of the Bludgers, the Chasers hadn't had the Quaffle all game, and the Keeper might as well have been blind. Many of the Gryffindor fans were praying for the Slytherin seeker to catch the Snitch and end their suffering. Others had simply abandoned their red and gold scarves for green ones, applying the old "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" logic. Only a few dedicated fans were still loyal, Ron and Hermione included. So, when Gryffindor finally came from behind with a spectacular Snitch catch by Harry, the stadium was in an uproar. Caught up in the moment, Ron scooped Hermione off the ground with a gigantic bear hug, then proceeded to carry her all the way out of the stadium and back to the common room where they met up with their friends…_

_2 am__, the night before a huge Potions essay was due. The common room was empty except for Ron, putting the finishing touches on his project, and Hermione, looking over his shoulder and correcting him when needed. _

_ "Potions…important…in the Middle Ages…THE END!" Grinning, Ron threw down his quill and passed the essay to Hermione for her to proofread. There were a few misspellings and she had to add a comma here and there, but overall, the essay was great and Hermione handed it back to Ron with a smile._

_ "Great job! If Snape doesn't give you an A, there's gotta be something _

_wrong__!" Ron beamed and began packing up his books._

_ A long silence filled the room. Not an awkward silence, but the comfortable kind of silence that could only occur between two really good friends. The kind of silence that seems a shame to fill up with conversation. When he finished, Ron stood up and the two of them began drifting towards their separate dormitories. Hermione had just began to walk up the stairs when Ron called after her._

_ "Hey Hermione!" Puzzled, she turned back and saw him standing there, a faint blush creeping up his face. "I just wanted to say thanks. Not many people would've stayed up all night to help me. It…umm…meant a lot to me." She nodded and said no more…_

_ And then there was that time after the Yule Ball when he confronted her about Viktor Krum…_

_ "Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?"_

_ "Uhh…sure Ron, go ahead."_

_ "Okay, well…it's about you and Viktor…" _

_ "What about us?"_

_ "Well…" Ron began, blushing profusely. Hermione smiled. Although he didn't know it, he was so cute when he was embarrassed… "Well…are you two…seeing eachother?"_

_ Confused, she replied, "Well, yes Ron, I guess we are…Why?"_

_ "Oh…no reason…just wondering…."_

_ Sunday morning in the park…_

_ Hogsmeade with their friends…_

_ A chance meeting over the summer…_

Hermione's mind was filled with all these memories; solid proof that she and Ron were more than _just friends_. She had just managed to convince herself of this when she heard a voice coming from just outside the portrait hole. Someone was coming into the common room. She couldn't figure out exactly why, but Hermione knew that she didn't really want to talk to anyone right now. Hastily, she bolted towards the dormitory entrance, but not before Ron Weasley stepped into the common room and saw exactly what she was doing.

"Hermione! Hey! What are you doing up?" Beaten, she turned around and slowly walked back toward the couches.

"Oh…nothing much…couldn't sleep…you know the deal." She sighed and looked him in the face. _Wow, he just gets cuter and…what am I saying?!_" Shaking the thought out of her head, she turned the subject back to him.

"So…where are you coming from?" _Good…good…_ she thought to herself. _Let him answer the questions for a while…_

"Secret party in the Room of Requirement. I guess today was some Ravenclaw 6th year's birthday or something…"

Hermione smiled and nodded politely, desperately trying to focus on anything besides the fact that she was standing there in only her pjs and Ron was a mere 3 feet in front of her.

"Oh…how was it?"

"Awesome! Hey, you'll never guess what happened!" he exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Well…you know the Room of Requirement, right? How it changes to suit the needs of the people in it?"

"Yeah…"

"Well I guess some 7th years thought it would be funny if they thought about their need for a dark room so they could make out with their girlfriends…"

Hermione sighed. Something deep inside told her that she did not want to know where this was going…

"Anyway, the room goes all dark and, after the initial shock goes away, I feel someone's hand grab my wrist. Suddenly, whoever it was had their mouth on mine and was kissing me like crazy! After a few minutes, the lights come on again and I see Padma Patil just standing there with this amazing grin on her face. She's so beautiful…"

Hermione just sat there in total shock. She felt nothing; it appeared as if her brain hadn't registered what her ears had just heard.

"Listen, I'm gonna go to bed. I'll tell you about the rest of it in the morning, okay?" And without even a parting glance, Ron raced up the flight of stairs into the dormitory and out of Hermione's world.

_Just friends…_she thought to herself. _How could I have been so stupid?! I should've never even fallen for him, I knew I didn't stand a chance! I should've…_Steadying herself against the wall, she slowly sank to her knees and began sobbing into her hands.

_Just friends.___

_ They were just friends._

_ And that was how it would stay._


End file.
